The San Antonio Spurs Reveal Their Colors

With six finals appearances and five NBA championships the San Antonio Spurs have been a successful organization being the home of NBA legends such as David Robinson,  George Gervin, and Tim Duncan to name a few. Despite their success, the Spurs have been a team to fall below the radar as they play a non-flashy style of basketball paired with their dull signature colors of black, white, and silver. 

Year after year Spurs fans have pleaded with the organization to bring back the fiesta colorway to no avail. Shockingly, as of early November, the San Antonio Spurs have announced and revealed the new fiesta jerseys for the 2021 season. The news doesn’t end there as the Spurs have also drafted Devin Vassell, their first lottery pick the Spurs had in years, and Tre Jones in the second round.

The new fiesta jerseys reintroduce the retro colorway of teal, pink, and orange which was seen on the spurs logo (not on the jerseys) from the late ’80s and ’90s. Unlike the plain and boring jerseys the Spurs have used throughout the organization’s history seeing minimal change, the Fiesta Jerseys have vastly improved on the organization’s traditional style. The new jerseys are sleek and pleasing to the eyes. The fiesta colorway pops out as it’s contrasted with a deep black on the base of the jersey. Another plus is that they have strategically removed the iconic spur from the jersey to make room for the colored stripes to be in the center of attention. The text and font have also changed as the jersey says, San Antonio instead of Spurs as it originally did with a sleek font compared to its previously bulky one. Lastly, the number has shifted from the center and is angled more to the right. 

The fiesta jersey is by far my favorite jersey variation. It’s as if the new colors have breathed life onto a blank canvas.

The 2020 NBA draft has also been exciting for Spurs fans as the organization has received its first lottery pick since 1997 with the eleventh pick. The Spurs have had a history of developing talent through the draft. Late picks such as Manu Ginobili picked 57th in the second round and Tony Parker 28th overall in the 1st round have developed into star players in the Spurs’ big three. 

Devin Vassell, a 6’7 guard from Florida State averaged 12.7 points 5.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1 block per game according to sports-reference.com. Though the Spurs roster is filled with guards I believe Vassell was a great choice as he can also play as a forward being 6’7. Vassell is also a great defender as he has an amazing defensive IQ in forcing turnovers, reading passing lanes, and defending the rim. Vassell is skilled in the offense as well as he shot an efficient 49% from the field and 41.5% from beyond the arc.

Tre Jones, a 6’3 guard from Duke averaged 16.2 points, 6.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game according to sports-reference.com. Acquiring Tre Jones in the second round was an absolute steal as he was projected to be drafted in the first round. Jones is an excellent backcourt defender as he is very crafty in producing a high steal percentage playing at Duke. Not to mention Jones was awarded both ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 2020. Tre Jones is also skilled offensively as last year he shot 42.3% from the field and 36.1% from beyond the arc.

The Spurs may have an abundance of guards but I believe the Spurs will resolve this issue as Marco Belinelli’s and Bryn Forbes’s contracts have expired. The Spurs are unlikely to resign them to potentially go after another free agent. DeMar DeRozan’s and Patty Mill’s contracts are expiring after the 2021 season wraps up. These two guards can be used as trading pieces to obtain new talent for a better forward or center.

Though the Spurs haven’t been as good as they were in the early 2000s and early to mid-2010s the Spurs have pleased the fans with a new jersey and in the NBA draft. It can not be said for certain but the Spurs are starting to look bright again. All we can do is wait and see how these new players develop, playing in the NBA.